The waves crashed in coordinated intervals as if to hum a tune of mischief and love seeing the two who were smitten by each other finally be entangled in each other's arms.

Rhohaz pulled away so slowly to glance at Vanya’s face so overcome by the taste of his lips. She wrapped her hands around his neck to pull him into a deep kiss while he made sure she did not crash her back on the sharp edge of the kitchen counter.

Suddenly, they heard loud footsteps approaching the back door which was only a foot away from them. They both stopped at once tearing away from each other as if they had been pummeled back onto earth. The door knob twisted making the both of them gasp. And before they knew it the door flung open to reveal Roza behind it taking off her cloak.

“Oh! You scared me!” Roza was startled to see Vanya hugging the wine bottle she had brought over for Roza. Rhohaz remained at the opposite end of the room.

Roza bounced her gaze back and forth between the two while her brows furrowed.

“Didn’t think I’d find you both here. Why are the two of you acting as if the other’s got some deadly disease?” Roza asked tossing her cloak aside.

“No, no diseases. Just wine!” Vanya, who was so clearly having her veins still flowing with shock and fear of not knowing what to do if Roza ever found her kissing her brother, replied almost instantly. She pushed the wine bottle to Roza’s hands hoping to divert the conversation entirely.

“Timmie’s wine?” Roza asked while reluctantly holding on to it.

Vanya seemed as if the alcohol in her system was slowly beginning to wear off. She did not dare turn to look at Rhohaz. She too flushed with the thought of him.

He remained silent watching the girls exchange quick pleasantries before Vanya whisked out without a goodbye. He smiled to himself seeing her stumble before heading off not throwing even a glance his way. He knew it was probably because she was embarrassed nevertheless he yearned to see her face just once more before calling it a night.

***

Throughout the night, Rhohaz could not fall asleep in the slightest. He tossed and turned in his bed till he eventually gave up to sit at his desk with a candle burning while he tried burying himself with some mind-numbing paperwork. But even that did not help. He wondered often letting his eyes gaze out the window to see if she happened to be outside, silently enjoying the waves in the middle of the night.

He gave in and decided to take a walk by the beach. He let his bare feet sink in the sand like she did. He watched the cold waves sweep his feet while he stared at the stars above. He wondered if she was asleep, or if she was having trouble sleeping like he did.

Before long, he was back in his home comfortably seated by the velvet chair his father used to frequent at night. He read one of his father’s letters to him while he listened to the sound of the waves whispering in his ear begin to throb his head. It was a usual occurrence in his younger days where he’d be so bothered by them even to the verge of tears. As time passed, it would rarely bother him. But ever since he started practicing magic with determination he’d notice it begin to haunt him again.

His mother had always said, “You were born with an open eye. You have enough power to move seas. But it comes with a prize. You must not let it overcome your being. You must let it go.”

He remembered her words as if it was a constant prayer helping him meditate. He took a deep breath hoping the voices of the waves bothering him would fade away on their own.

By the time they finally left him, Rhohaz fell into a deep sleep while uncomfortably lying on the chair with a finger on his father’s letters. Roza noticed him in the corner as she headed out for her morning walk before sunrise. She threw a blanket on him hoping it would not have him wake up to have her not leave the home. She hurried out closing the front door as silently as possible behind her.

The sun was already shining brightly when Rhohaz woke. He opened his eyes to shock himself that he had finally managed to fall asleep. He quickly got ready hoping to start his day sooner than later when he spotted Vanya outside by the beach.

His heart pounded and his lips curved to an automatic smile. He debated whether to see her now or later in the evening once he was done for the day. He dreamt of hugging her, pulling her close to him.

But before he could decide what to do he heard a knock at his back door, a gentle and subtle knock as if to not really let anyone hear it.

He pulled the door open and found the one person he had been thinking of behind it.

“Good morning,” he said, his smile growing seeing Vanya, with her hair loose and her hands fidgeting, in front of him.

She smiled too, but not in the sense of happiness of coming to visit Rhohaz, but more along the lines of dread.

He sensed it at once. His smile faltered and he immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong,” she said biting into her nail.

He waited patiently while watching her gather up the courage to climb up the stairs and get closer to him.

His brows furrowed seeing her so fidgety and nervous.

“I…I didn’t want to sweep it under the rug, you know,” she started making Rhohaz feel ominous.

“Under the rug?”

“I didn’t want to just ignore you or pretend I don’t remember…” she said, her eyes gazing at him as he slowly began to realize what she was about to say, “...I’m sorry about last night. It—it was a mistake and I wholeheartedly accept that I am the one to blame for it all.”

His heart dropped. He did not know what to say other than, “Last night? You mean the kiss?”

She nodded looking away unable to see his face turn to disappointment. She stayed there silently while the sea waves filled the silence between them.

Rhohaz cleared his throat suddenly to speak, “That’s alright. I was thinking the same really. That…it was a mistake on both our parts.”

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Something in Vanya broke hearing him say that. For hours she debated on what to do. She could not and did not, want to lead him astray after what had happened. She had let her feelings get in the way of everything. She had expressed them too much to the point she felt disgusted that all Rhohaz knew of her was nothing, not even her real name. She felt as if she was cheating him by concealing her identity, tricking him into thinking he could actually think of having a life with her.

Yet seeing him so nonchalantly reply made her feel as if she was the one too attached. A part of her wondered if he was speaking the truth.

She smiled uncomfortably to say, “Well, that’s settled then.”

She gazed at him seeing him purse his lips in an attempt to fake a smile. Things felt so awkward between the two that they felt it harder to be standing in each other’s presence than when they first met at the infirmary.

“Well then, I must get going. Busy day ahead,” he said with a raised brow trying to be courteous.

She too nodded frantically to immediately reply, “Absolutely, I will see you around.”

Vanya turned around biting her lip as she berated herself thinking,

See you around? See you around is the best you could come up with…

Her legs scurried past Tilly’s garden and into the porch listening to Rhohaz close the door and head on his way.

She breathed deeply hiding away under the porch with a hand to her heart feeling it race. But her face turned blue in sadness. She hadn’t felt such a sting to her heart before she looked at his uninterested face confirming to her that everything that happened was a mistake. She gulped feeling her eyes water. She wondered if it was because she said it first.

It’s for the better…I could never be anything more than someone that happened to pass by Shalom…

She thought as she felt a tear roll down her cheek.

***

Joan felt the instant drop in mood as Vanya entered the kitchen for some breakfast. She observed her mistress barely touch the food while she sulked as if she had something stuck in her throat unable to let her voice it out.

“What is it?” Joan asked while taking a seat beside Vanya.

Vanya stayed silent for a moment before sighing and asking, “What do you think you’d be doing in ten years, Joan? Would you still be with me?”

Joan thought for a moment, “Probably married to the love of my life, a few children, and I would most likely still be by your side.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Just curious. So you’d still have room for me with a husband and children in your life?’

Joan chuckled, “Of course, my lady. I would assume the same for you.”

But Vanya only shook her head.

“Why not?” Joan asked innocently while leaning over to Vanya.

“I don’t have the privilege of marrying for love,” Vanya felt her heartache.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You will be the most powerful person in all of the Kingdom. Surely, you will marry for love.”

Vanya thought about Joan’s words and then replied, “I’m afraid my position is not as powerful as you think it is. After all, I can’t have someone uproot their entire life for me.”

Joan looked at her for a moment as if she had figured Vanya out. Joan felt Vanya’s distress as her own. She felt her mistress’s heavy thoughts as if the light in Vanya’s eyes had left her entirely.

“Your Highness—” Joan got cut off by a loud knock that had them both jump out of their seat.

A louder knock followed before Joan finally went to the door to answer it.

“Is Jade home?” a very out of breath Garin asked Joan who moved aside revealing Vanya. Garin looked at her, his hands on his knees, panting.

“What’s the matter?” Vanya asked making her way to him.

“There’s someone here to meet you.”

***

Vanya felt Garin glance at her suspiciously all throughout the time while leading her to his home. He barely even spoke with her while walking in front of her hurriedly having her speed up just to keep up with him.

He finally opened the little flimsy gate to his home before he turned to her to say, “My mother is not in today. So feel free to relax.”

But his weary eyes were not hard to ignore. Vanya simply nodded not even bothered to ask him who was here to meet her.

He opened the front door to let her in. It was a much larger home than Rhohaz’s or Tilly’s combined. There was a spacious living area and a large kitchen to the side.

Vanya jumped finding Rhohaz suddenly walking out of the living room and bumping into her. He held her from her elbows, steadying her before immediately taking his hands to himself. She thanked him.

“I hear someone’s here to meet me?” she asked immediately not wanting the awkwardness to take over.

Rhohaz nodded and turned to reveal Taru, with his navy uniform and disheveled hair as if he’d been riding for days, greeting her in elevated enthusiasm.

Both Rhohaz and Garin left Vanya with Taru in the living room after a mandatory exchange of meaningless words.

“You are here,” Vanya said in delight.

“Yes, and I am sure you are wondering why. I’ve found him, Jade. He’s at Elioth. I rode to Shalom at the crack of dawn to come bring you the good news, and ask you to ride with me to Elioth.”

Vanya gasped with her hands clasping her mouth. She could not believe it. Taru had found Master Aren, her disagreeable history tutor. This was her chance, her last chance to get home.

“I cannot thank you enough,” she held his hands in thanks.

“We must leave soon. It was difficult to find him and get him to stay. We must ride immediately. I’m sure he’d disappear if he were to figure out it’s my men who are keeping him company,” Taru said with a fervent nod.

Vanya suddenly glanced around, “I have a problem. No one in Shalom knows about any of this. There will be questions–”

“Worry not. I’ve already told them it is a matter of Elioth’s court and we need you to identify some perpetrators for us. Just pretend you’ve met more than the three people who followed you and Roza that night.”

Vanya widened her eyes in surprise that Taru had everything figured out for her. She nodded in agreement.

***

Vanya barely had enough time to grab her cloak before Taru showed up on his horse near Tilly’s home. Next to him was Rhohaz on his horse. Vanya tied her cloak around her shoulders watching Rhohaz lift himself off and onto the ground.

He held the gate open for Vanya, who was making her way to Taru in a hurry.

“Travel safe,” Joan shouted. She looked visibly stressed to see Vanya parting ways with her once more.

“Careful with your shoulder,” Rhohaz spoke once Vanya was close enough to him making her startle seeing he even cared.

Garin held Rhohaz’s horse steady while Rhohaz moved to assist Vanya. But she simply got on with no help surprising the boys but most of all Garin who picked up on how well she strapped herself on for a person with no prior experience riding one.

“I’ll bring her back safe and sound tomorrow,” Taru assured looking to Joan as well.

Rhohaz nodded and watched Vanya leave him for the first time since he had met her. She was going away on her own. He worried for her. His original intention was to ride to Elioth with her but it was not a good enough reason to leave Shalom suddenly out of the blue. After all, Taru was accompanying her and Rhohaz trusted Taru more than anyone.

Vanya waved to Joan as Taru took the lead. She looked back at the village so small from high up a horse. She found Rhohaz standing there as if he’d been struck by something. He stayed breathing heavily with his eyes gazing at her, the same eyes that looked bored and nonchalant only this morning listening to her. They were filled with worry. They were brimming with melancholy.